Towing

Chevrolet and GMC have made their 1500 pickups J2807 compliant already, but not their HD pickups. Ford has promised that its new 2015 F-150 will be tested according to the standard. Meanwhile, Toyota’s Tundra has been compliant for some time.

RAM

Sharp-eyed photographers spotted this little test mule running around in Michigan. Several journalists note that it looks like Fiat Strada beneath all that cladding, which could mean that Ram is looking at doing the same thing with the Strada that it did with the Ducato (ProMaster van, anyone?)

So what does a Strada look like under normal conditions? Like this:

FORD

It’s worth pointing out that the comparison Ford set up for the press compared a 2014 F-150 with the 5.0L V8 with a 2015 F-150 with the new 2.7L EcoBoost V6, but it’s still quite a bit of weight savings.

Also noteworthy is that Ford says that new little EcoBoost engine will make 325 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque.

Here’s a video Ford made where it set up some towing drag races between the F-150, Ram’s EcoDiesel and Chevrolet’s 5.3L V8.

Two more things: it’s pretty much official that Ford’s 6.2L V8 will no longer be available for the F-150, so if Ford’s Raptor will continue past 2014, it might have some special plans for a big engine up its sleeve. Also, a global Ford Ranger was spotted doing some test driving in Colorado, so maybe Ford is trying to be ready to compete with GM if the new little trucks prove popular.

Chevrolet/GMC

The 2.5L inline four will make 200 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque, while the 3.6L V6 will make 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque.

Official numbers on the 2.8L Duramax diesel that will come with 2016 Canyon/Colorado pickups are still unavailable. There’s all sorts of rumors and speculation on how much power it’ll have, but we’ll just have to wait.

And if you want to see how big these trucks are, here’s a GMC Canyon next to a Ram 1500.